Amanda Archibald, RD, Field to Plate® Founder

Amanda Archibald is both visionary and leader in the world of food choice and food and nutrition education. With a palate honed in Europe and finessed in the United States, the way she looks at, thinks and talks about food sets her apart in the field of food and food talk.

Amanda has been at the vortex of what's happening in food and health in the U.S and around the world for a long time. Her key work as a research analyst in food, health and menu with The Mintel Group, as well as her extensive interaction with experts and artisans throughout the supply chain (literally from Field to Plate) provides Amanda with unique perspectives that have engaged audiences for years. Her insights and ideas have made her a speaker of choice at leading food, agricultural and health forums in America.

Trained as a dietitian and inspired by parents whose love of food and culture was deeply instilled in her, Amanda has spent more than 14 years fine-tuning ways to engage people and get them truly excited about food. Amanda’s food vision is a lot less nutrition and whole lot more eating. Borrowing tasting cues from the wine industry and wrapping them with creative approaches to food, flavor and choice, Amanda has found a way to ignite people’s passion for food. Her ideas are captured in her inspirational company, Field to Plate.

Amanda is a member of the American Dietetic Association, the American Institute of Wine and Food and a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier, Washington D.C.. She serves on the Mid-Atlantic Farm to School steering committee and is a committee member for the fledgling Cakes for Cause vocational training program in Frederick, MD. Amanda was born in Europe and educated in both the UK and the U.S. She is a passionate advocate for the disadvantaged and underserved, and a lifelong supporter of professionals and organizations who dedicate themselves to serving the causes of those whose voices may otherwise go unheard.

Amanda’s vision, life goal and career is dedicated to creating meaningful food education experiences that make a difference – one bite at a time.

Make sure to listen to Amanda’s interview, as she offers great bits of advice for all professions. Above it all, her message is to honor the passion within you. Be sure to listen to what she says at the end, too, because there is great truth to the fact that if you believe in yourself, you can be anything you want to be! To visit Amanda’s website, go to http://www.fieldtoplate.com. To listen to Amanda’s interview, click here.

Julie Goodale

This month’s Professional of the Month is Julie Goodale, owner of Life-Cise, Fitness for Survivors. Julie has two sets of specialities: Music and fitness.

In her career as a New York City musician, Julie Goodale has been hailed as a “strong soloist” by Bernard Holland of The New York Times. She has toured extensively throughout the United States with tap dancer, Savion Glover; and with her string quintet, the Abaca String Band. She has appeared in various clubs, concert halls, and on television with performers such as Johnnie Mathis, Diana Krall, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ochun, and many others.

A few years ago Julie began a second career in fitness. She is certified as a Personal Trainer through ACSM, and as a Cancer Exercise Specialist through the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. From her own experience with breast cancer, she believes in the importance of exercise for cancer patients, and has become a strong advocate for exercise before, during, and after cancer treatments As a personal trainer, Julie works with clients in the New York City area in various phases of cancer treatment - whether they’re interested in getting in better shape before surgery, regaining mobility after surgery, helping to manage the side effects of treatment, or regaining strength after treatment is finished. Hoping to reach out to a broader public, this last year Julie launched a website, www.life-cise.com, which provides online information and training for cancer survivors, no matter where they live. She has led fitness workshops, both for cancer survivors and strength training seminars for musicians. Julie also writes regularly about fitness issues for cancer survivors on her blog, www.fitnessforsurvivors.blogspot.com. She still works as a musician, but is now also dedicated to helping others stay fit and stay strong.

Julie’s story is as much her account of what led her to create Life-Cise Fitness as what she has learned about running a company. However, she wanted to share with listeners that trainers need to focus more on being serious and diligent about the business. She has found that many health professionals she meets with are surprised by her professionalism and preparation, and would like to see more fitness professionals also impress the health communities in such a way.

Julie’s recommendation is to really figure out what you want to create, in order to best determine how to create it. Using music as an example, Julie shares how to set up goals and run a business. It’s a unique blend of business and music, combined with her personal experience that many listeners will enjoy.

To listen to Julie’s interview, click here.